Donor Profile: Heather Davis

Member of the Next Generation of Donors

Photo: Adam Davis

Over the past year, Bread & Roses stakeholders contemplated the future of the organization at town halls, focus groups, and in interviews. A theme emerged: Bread & Roses needs to do more to welcome and engage younger donors.

Luckily, many young donors are already involved. For example, meet Heather Davis, a native Texan who is 29 years old. Earlier this year she committed $5,000 per year to Bread & Roses for three years.

“I am impressed with how Bread & Roses is remodeling their priorities based on changing community needs,” says Heather.

Heather works as a registered nurse at a hospital in Wilmington, commuting there from her Mt. Airy home. She first came to the region to attend Bryn Mawr College.

“I see Bread & Roses not only as a venue to donate to important social change work in my community, but to share decision-making power over where money goes with folks who are working on these issues,” says Heather.

Heather is also a member of the national board of advisors for Resource Generation, which organizes young people with wealth to leverage resources and privilege for social change.

“Resource Generation has been vital to me as a young wealthy person struggling to figure out how to align my resources with my values,” says Heather.

The group is diverse and includes those with earned and/or inherited wealth. Heather is part of a Philadelphia “praxis group” that meets every month or so. It gives young people with wealth an opportunity to meet each other and develop giving plans together. The group is open to new members.

“I care about social justice because I pay attention to the people around me and to the striking differences in living conditions, educational opportunities, and health care access and outcomes,” says Heather.

“Lots of other young people are paying attention too.” Heather’s easy and humble manner inspires others to follow her lead. “Ideally, I would not be alone in the decision of where to allocate my extra resources, but I’d be pooling resources as one of many community members working for social change,” she says.

“Bread & Roses provides a great model that I think more young people can really get behind. We have to know that our communities and our community fund depend on us.”